


Beyond the sea

by Bill_Longbow



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Noir, BAMF Steve Rogers, BAMF Tony Stark, Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, Fight Scenes, Hugs, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Cannibalism, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-05-25
Packaged: 2019-05-13 01:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14739809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow
Summary: He hated this, he hated being afraid. He hated the war and the deaths and the Nazis and the food, don’t get him started on the food. He hated water, sea water especially. He hated the oppressive heat of the tropics, he hated the hordes of mosquitoes, he hated the giant bugs, but most of all he hated losing his shield.When Steve's first mission in the Pacific theatre goes to hell before it even starts, he has to fight, and fight hard, to survive. His only hope lies in goading his foe to make a mistake, but that's discouning a certain famous adventuring genius.





	Beyond the sea

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on the awesome art by [Domon](http://tonysvandyke.tumblr). I had so much fun using their sandbox, go check out the rest of their art, it's amazing!
> 
> Massive thank you to [Skye](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Skye_wyr/pseuds/Skye_wyr) for cheering, betaing and idea bouncing!
> 
> Title is from the song with the same title by Bobby Darin.

 

The shivers that went through Steve’s body had nothing to do with the cold. He was swimming somewhere in the Philippines, and even here in the open ocean the water still felt warm. The only sounds he heard were of his movement through the water, the planes overhead were long since gone. It was his first mission in the Pacific theatre, and of course it had immediately gone to hell. The plane they were in was attacked by Japanese fighters and Steve had barely made it out in one piece, jumping into the ocean without a chute or anything, all communication devices still in the now submerged aircraft. He hated this, he hated being afraid. He hated the war and the deaths and the Nazis and the food, don’t get him started on the food. He hated water, sea water especially. He hated the oppressive heat of the tropics, he hated the hordes of mosquitoes, he hated the giant bugs, but most of all he hated losing his shield. Okay, this was good, anger was better than grief and fear for the other passengers. Anger made his breaststrokes even more powerful and he glided with speed through the water.

 

After hours of swimming he finally dragged himself onto the beach of the island that was hopefully the one he was supposed to reach. It had been a tiny speck on the horizon when they were attacked, only visible to him because of the serum. He gave himself a few minutes of lying on the sand to catch his breath, the heaving quickly making place for regular breaths. The sky began to lighten ever so slightly, and in the thick vegetation behind him the cacophony of bird calls was so loud he could barely hear himself think.

 

He sat up to take stock. He lost his shield, he lost the way to communicate with his contact, he had no idea where he was, _no_ _one_ knew where he was. Dawn was fast approaching, and he had to scout the area. Wiping his hair away from his face he got up and stretched out the ache in his arms. No time like the present.

  
  


After three hours of hiking through the thick undergrowth he was still as wet was he had been when he had just crawled out of the ocean. The warmth was oppressing in the twilight under the giant trees, but it was the humidity that made it nearly unbearable. Every tiny exertion made him sweat like a pig and he had to find a source of drinkable water soon or else he would perish before he had encountered anything more than the local wildlife.

 

He had been following the soft sound of trickling water for a while now, but it was hard to pinpoint exactly, as all sounds were echoing between the giant trunks. He noticed he was steadily climbing though, so he figured he was at least moving away from the coast and into the main part of the island. If he was on the right one, and he prayed fervently that he was, then the interior of the island was dominated by two mountains, or rather, volcanoes, the largest of which was extinct and left a huge crater. It was this crater he was to reach. An informer in the village on the north side of the island had reported suspicious activity near the crater mouth a few months prior. When the Howlies had found a map of this island in an underground Hydra base in Switzerland, it was quickly decided someone should go and take a look. Someone who could move fast and remain undetected. Someone who wouldn't fall ill because of the many dangers that came with survival in the tropics. Someone with a sharp memory, and who could think quick on his feet.

 

Steve didn't regret jumping at the chance. Anyone without the serum would have been killed in either the crash or the swim towards the island. The serum had its downsides though. Even if the local mosquito population didn’t want to snack on him, their collective buzzing drove him insane, everyone of them like a dentist drill in his ears. His skin was more sensitive too, feeling scraped raw beneath the wet fabric of his suit, where it didn't hang on tatters around him. Various plants had razor sharp leaves, and it had taken him a bit to find out which to avoid, the cuts on his arms were still healing and sensitive. On his feet giant blisters formed and healed again and again, and it was all he could do but to lock his jaw and push on. It was imperative someone got inside the volcano base to see what they were up to. Steve secretly feared it might be worse than the things he had encountered in Europe, why else put a base all the way out here?

 

He stumbled through an especially stubborn piece of liana onto a little stream. Grinning, he fell on his knees and drank eagerly.

 

After he drank his fill he washed some of the sweat and seawater of his face, neck and arms. He regretted not clipping a canteen to his suit. A quick pat down revealed nothing in which he could store water. Bending down he took a final sip and quickly followed the stream upwards.

 

The going was much easier along the stream. Because the vegetation was less dense here, he didn’t have to hack through it with his woefully inadequate knife. The attack came out of nowhere, he didn’t hear or see _anything_ before he felt an excruciating pain in his left shoulder, like something cut through the flesh. He fell sideways in surprise, trying to roll and get a look at his attacker, but the bank was clear. Something rustled through the vegetation behind him and he turned that way, but again he saw nothing. Staying on his haunches he made his way to the undergrowth, listening intently to any sound that might be out of place, and he noticed the jungle was deadly quiet. No bird calls, no monkeys barking, even the continuous buzz of the mosquitoes had died down. All he heard was the wind rustling through the leaves. He startled badly when the first raindrop fell on his hurt shoulder, then another one on his head, and soon it was pouring down. It was hard to see through the deluge, but Steve thought he saw a large shape moving towards him. He crouched down to meet it head on, but it changed direction before it broke free from the vegetation. Steve didn't fall for the bait, he would stay here near the stream, where the ground was relatively even and free of plants.

 

He waited for minutes, but nothing came at him again, nothing even moved in the shrubs around him, as far as he could tell. He set out again, following the stream. While hiking he wracked his brain about what it could've been that attacked him. There shouldn't be any large mammals, as far as researchers had found. That left reptiles, or maybe a flying animal like an eagle or bat? But it moved on the ground, of this Steve was fairly certain.

 

The going was more difficult. The ground was very slippery, and more than once did he lose his footing. At least he was clean now, the salt washed away from his suit. Then, just as sudden as it started, the rain stopped and the animal calls picked up again.

 

Steve estimated it was past noon when he decided he needed another break. He’d had a crash course about edible things, and he managed to dig up some roots that were sweet and filling. Walking became easier again when the ground dried. If not for his constant vigilance the walk could be almost called pleasant. He walked for hours without incident. He had heard rushing water for quite some time now, but still it came as a surprise when he came upon a sheer rock wall, from where the stream fell down, creating a dazzling rainbow in the day's last light. Steve decided it was a good place to set up camp, better defensible than having open ground on all sides. The vegetation was helpful for once, and in no time he had fashioned a shelter of sorts that could keep out the worst of the rain, should it hit again. He debated whether or not he should make a fire, but he didn't really need it, and the added risk of being detected made him decide against it. He did find more of the roots, and as darkness descended over the rainforest he settled down for a vigil.

 

He had meant to stay awake, but the lull of the falling water had somehow soothed him to sleep. When he awoke it was silent, except for the rushing of the water. He was immediately on high alert, his shoulder had healed by now, but he hadn't forgotten about the attack yesterday. There was no telling if the sudden quiet, the rain, and the attack were somehow related, or if Steve had inadvertently stumbled upon some creature’s hideout just when the monsoon started. He cautiously peered out of his shelter, but could discern nothing out of the ordinary. He crawled out, ready to jump away at the first sign of danger, but nothing came at him, and sure enough, after a few steps the downpour started; leaving him drenched in seconds. He destroyed the shelter, making it look like no one had camped here, as best as he could, then studied the wall. The rain was heavy enough to obscure the view of the top, and the rocks would be slippery, but he was wearing his gloves and was confident he could climb to the top without incident. Taking a last look to note an outcropping, he walked up to the wall and started to climb.

 

He might have underestimated how difficult climbing the rock would be. Even with his gloves the rocks were often too slippery to get a good grip. At one point his feet slipped and he dangled on one arm above the precipice. He didn't think he would die, if he fell, but he would take a lot of damage, it would hurt _a lot_. With a shaky breath he managed to grab the wall again and clung there until his heartbeat evened out.

 

When he finally reached the top he peered over and he couldn't compute what he saw. A man was standing a bit away, holding an umbrella, flanked by… by two creatures straight from a nightmare. They were bipedal, their odd shaped body, which also seemed to contain their head, was a horrible pink. They had huge maws with rows of razor sharp teeth and their arms ended in talons. He quickly ducked his head down, hoping he wasn't seen yet, but the man chuckled. “You can come out now, Captain, no need to be shy,” the man said in a thick German accent.

 

Steve looked down to gauge if he couldn't somehow jump and run, but his heart sank when another two of the monsters came loping through the trees beneath him, and started to snarl and jump where he hang on the cliff’s edge.

 

“Come, come, time’s a wasting,” the man said primly. “You and I have a busy day ahead of us.”

 

Again, Steve cursed the loss of his shield, before calculating his odds of a fight against these beasts. Maybe if he let himself be captured they would bring him to the base where he could break out and take the intel they needed. On the other hand, the man clearly knew who he was, and probably what he was capable off too, he wouldn’t have an easy time escaping.

 

With a deep breath he pulled himself upward, flying up in an arc and landing between the man and one of the beasts. He kicked the thing in one of its eyes and crouched and punched the man in his kneecap in one go. The man went down with a curse, the umbrella flying away. The beast he had hit cried out in anguish and backed away a bit, but the other one jumped at him and lunged with one of its claws. Steve could barely dodge away in time to avoid being lacerated. The other beast jumped at him from behind, knocking him to his knees and he rolled to the side before it could bite his arm. He kicked it with enough force to send it over the edge. The beast that was left was charging him again, maw open and dripping saliva, and Steve turned to the side just in time to make it slip over the edge by itself. Thank goodness these things weren’t intelligent. He turned around to take care of the man, but stopped when he heard the click of a safety being removed on a firearm. He slowly turned the whole way and saw the man had a rifle pointed at him.

 

“Very impressive, Captain, forgive me for not applauding, I’ve got my hands full, as you can see.” The man moved the rifle a bit, as way of illustrating his point.

 

“Who are you?” Steve asked. Always keep them talking, stalling had saved his life more than once.

 

“Doctor Sauber, at your service,” the man said with a nod of his head, without taking his eyes off Steve. “Now, enough with the chit chat, if you would step this way, please.” He indicated the direction with a nod of his head. Steve stayed put though.

 

“Sauber, never heard of you. You’re a long way away from the motherland.” Steve waited for an opening to jump the man, he could take a bullet wound, but he preferred not to.

 

“I see what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work. I’m a genius, you see, you can’t expect me to fall into your little trap. Now, this gun is loaded with a tranquilizer capable of putting my children to sleep. Do you think it would work on you, _Captain_?”

 

The rain made it more difficult to read the man’s expression, but Steve had the distinct expression he was dealing with a lunatic, which made it harder to anticipate on what he would do.

 

“A genius, huh, why would the Führer ship a genius so far away?” He hoped to goad the man into making a mistake. He took a tiny step forward as well, gesticulating while he talked.

 

“Ah ah ah, put your hands behind your head, please. I told you, I won’t fall for your pathetic _American_ tricks. Now, will you come along or do I have to shoot you?” The man began to sound impatient. It wasn’t ideal, but Steve would risk it. In one giant leap he dove for the man’s legs, but the stone he was standing on was slippery and he fell short. Just before he landed he felt a piercing pain in his right upper leg. He pulled out the dart immediately, but to no avail, his movements became sluggish within moments, and soon he fell unconscious.

  


When the cell door opened Steve struggled against the chains that held him, rattling them, but not getting any closer to getting them loose. He had woken up about three hours ago, to a pounding headache, and finding himself chained to the wall. Manacles encircled his wrists to which a chain was attached. The chain was looped through a large ring set in the stone above his head, and was just long enough for his hands to be at a height with his head when he sat. His ankles were similarly fastened to the ground, albeit with a much shorter chain, giving him little room to move his legs. He had known immediately that the manacles and chains were vibranium, but the rings and stone seemed of regular material, so he had pulled and pulled with all his strength to try and dislodge the ring in the wall. So far the only thing he had accomplished was damaging his wrists.

 

The man from before entered, Sauber, and took in the scene before him. Steve noted with some horror that the man seemed to walk normally. The blow he had given the man's knee should've shattered it. Sauber was dressed in a white lab coat, and pulled a trolley behind him. The top of the trolley was covered by a piece of cloth, in a mockery of following hygiene protocols. Sauber tutted at Steve and sat on his hunches, just out of reach of his legs.

 

“Now, now, aren’t you enjoying your stay? Such a pity, maybe you need some distraction, yes?” Steve didn’t deign to reply when Sauber stood up and walked over to the trolley. When he pulled back the cloth Steve was relieved it only held one syringe, and felt immediately ashamed for it. He should be able to endure torture, even more than baseline humans he firmly told himself. He would heal, and he would bring Sauber to justice.

 

Sauber came over and uncapped the syringe, spraying a tiny bit in the air before kneeling down next to Steve. “This will sting,” he said, before plunging the needle into Steve’s thigh and emptying it. The point broke when Steve struggled, but he didn’t notice because a burning pain, not unlike project Rebirth, spread out from where he was injected. It made him arch of the ground and scream. He didn’t even notice Sauber leaving.

  
  


When the cell door opened he struggled weakly against the chains. He had no idea how long it had been since Sauber had entered last, but he thought it could have been days, judging by how weak he felt and, more embarrassing, by how much excrement had piled up in his uniform. He had taken to breathing through mouth, the smell too overwhelming. He couldn’t quite feel his arms anymore, which was a blessing after the excruciating pain from the injection had finally subsided. He didn’t know what the stuff was meant to accomplish, he didn’t feel any different. He did feel gross and angry.

 

“Ah, Captain, goodmorning to you. I take it you’ve had a good night’s sleep?” Sauber was eating a croissant, of all things, and Steve clenched his jaw against the ache in his stomach. “If you don’t mind me saying, your personal hygiene could use some improvement, are all you Americans this negligent?” Sauber smirked at him as he took the final bite and proceeded to lick his fingers. “If you don’t struggle today, I will have a bath made ready for you, I’m sure you would appreciate one?”

 

Steve ignored him and looked straight ahead instead, but peeked a look out of the corner of his eye when Sauber snapped his fingers and what seemed to be a local came scurrying in with a bread and a cup.

 

“Mari here will help you eat, wouldn’t want you to lose your strength, would we?” With a wink he left and locked the door behind him. Mari came over without making eye contact and handed him the bread. Steve could just reach his mouth with the way he was chained, and he took a bite, but he was too thirsty to be able to properly swallow.

 

“Please,” he croaked, and gestured for the cup. Mari put it in his other hand and then quickly retreated to stand next to the door.

 

After a few sips and bites Steve felt a bit better, and he eyed the woman thoughtfully while chewing. “You speak English?” He tried, but got no reaction. There hadn’t been enough time for him to learn some Filipino, and he regretted it now. When his cup was empty he waved it, and Mari came to collect it. As soon as she did she knocked on the door and was replaced by Sauber and his trolley.

 

Steve debated whether struggling would gain him anything, but decided against it. This time Sauber only took some blood from his arm and praised him when he was done. “Such a smart man, Captain, you surely have deserved a reward.” Without looking back Sauber left.

  
  


When the cell door opened Steve barely looked up. It had been days again since he last saw someone, the promised reward had never come, and the lack of food and water made him almost too weak to stay awake. His skin was damaged and aching where he sat in his own filth, and he vaguely noticed his hands were swollen from hanging from the manacles. He had tried and tried and tried to pull free, but it was all in vain.

 

“Change of plans, Captain,” Sauber almost yelled exuberantly. When Steve managed to look up he saw he had brought Mari again, but this time she carried a small child, who had hidden its face away against her chest. Steve felt the dread rise, a cold fear that started in the pit of his stomach and slowly moved upwards.

 

Sauber said something in Filipino, Steve presumed, and the woman handed over the child, which cried out and tried to cling to the woman. Mari came over to Steve, key in her hand. Steve's eyes snapped to Sauber when he spoke again.

 

“We will set you free of these chains, but if you make any move to escape, I will inject the boy with the same thing you experienced.” Steve saw Sauber held a syringe ready near the boy’s leg. “Now, me and the kid will leave, and you will go with Mari to get cleaned up. You reek. I will see you shortly.”

 

The man left with the still whimpering boy and Mari clicked open the locks. Steve hissed in pain when his arms fell to his side, his swollen hands hitting the ground and shooting sparks of white hot pain up his arms. He keeled over, too weak to hold up his own weight after days of no food, water or movement, and landed on his shoulder. He barely register Mari unlocking his ankles as well, trying to breathe through the pain of the serum fixing his hands now that the blood flowed freely again. The woman pulled on his shoulder to get him to stand, but he was a dead weight. It took several tries for him to get to his knees, and then several more to stand up, leaning heavily on Mari. Together they shuffled towards the door. He already felt better, even if awfully weak, but he didn't want Sauber to realise, so he played up the act and ‘tripped’ on the threshold and went through the whole standing up charade again.  

 

Mari brought him to a bathroom where she helped him strip and plunged his uniform into a tub. He shuffled to a shower and hissed when the water hit his damaged skin, but it had to get cleaned up in order to better heal, so he squared his jaw and endured the cold water until all the filth had disappeared down the drain.

 

In all that time poor Mari had washed out the uniform, and together they managed to pull it on him again. The sopping wet fabric grated against his wounds when they walked back, but at least it was clean and he felt halfway human again. He had underestimated how… _degrading_ it was, not having a place to relieve himself, how humiliating. Mari didn't bring him back to his cell, but walked him out of the building into a large enclosed space, almost like an arena, the high walls that surrounded the space sported balconies, some even with seats facing the courtyard. As soon as the doors opened the smell of cooked meat hit Steve’s nose, and the hollow feel in his stomach erupted in a stabbing ache. He had drank his fill under the shower, but the lack of food made him weak, he felt weaker even than before the serum. He was cautious though, this was obviously a trap. Mari pushed the back of his shoulder for him to walk further, and he took a hesitant step, scanning the space for anything suspicious, other than the set table in the middle of the courtyard. He could make out the meat he had smelled, but also some fruits, and was that… mashed potatoes, as far as he could tell. Unconsciously he took another step forward, and startled when the doors behind him closed with a bang. He should be more attentive, he chided himself, but God was it hard when there was _food_ right in front of him. The voice of Sauber came ringing through a speaker hidden somewhere among the shrubs that lined the walls.

 

“Go ahead, Captain, I’ve prepared a meal for you. Go on, don’t be shy,” the German chuckled. “It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re afraid of?” He added.

 

Steve tried to concentrate, what would Sauber gain by feeding him? Steve was reasonably sure the serum would tackle any poison Sauber had put in the food. Surely he would taste it, in the quantities needed to knock him out. He took another step forward. If he regained some of his strength he could maybe escape when they came to take him back to his cell?

 

“Captain,” Sauber interrupted his thoughts, “if you don’t start to eat within the minute I will stab the boy.” Soft whimpers could be heard over the speaker, and that set Steve into action. He walked over to sit down, and started eating without preamble, tearing into the meat and stuffing some sort of grape with it into his mouth. It was heavenly. He scooped up some of the mash next, and continued to rip pieces of the meat, eating as fast as he could. He was nearly too late when the attack came. He barely ducked in time for a claw to miss his head. He spat out what he was chewing while he rolled and backed away. It was the same kind of monster he had encountered before. Two of them, no, three. Only now there was no ledge to kick them off, and he still felt desperately weak, though he felt the serum doing its thing, healing the skin on his ass, legs and back.

 

Sauber chuckled again into his microphone. “They’re upset you ate their brother, Captain.”

 

Steve felt sick, but he had no time to think of what he had just ingested as the creatures surged forward as one. Steve was wrong, these weren’t the same as before, these seemed to work together, to coordinate their attack. When Steve sidestepped them one jumped forward to lunge, while the other two tried to circle around him. Steve let himself fall to the ground and kicked the thing in the leg, breaking the bone. It crashed with a pitiful whine, but Steve was up and jumped over it, deciding to attack the other two. They didn’t seem to expect this. The first he came upon didn’t even raise its arms in time for Steve to give it a massive punch on what he thought was its nose, making it crumple instantly. The other didn’t wait him out, but jumped at him. Steve backed away and looked for an opening, but he thing advanced fast with its claws outstretched. Steve tried to do the drop and kick move again, but the monster anticipated this and swiped at his face. He barely rolled away in time, and the claw grazed his neck, rupturing the skin. The cut burned, more than when the first thing had attacked him, but Steve barely had time to register this as it came for him again. This time he managed to kick it in the belly and sent it crashing into the wall. Steve ran and grabbed the plate off the table, which was miraculously still standing, and threw it like his shield, embedding it in the creature’s head.

 

He dropped to his knees, trying to catch his breath. The only sounds in the courtyard were his ragged breathing, and the whimpers of the broken legged creature. His shoulder hurt more than it should, way more than it should, and he felt weak and nauseous. He heaved himself up and trudged to the door to sit back against the wall, but nobody came for him.

  
  


Nobody came for him. After waiting a few hours he had tried climbing the walls, but they were too smooth, and too high to jump onto. He couldn’t even reach the balconies. He had tried for what seemed like days, and sat slumped against the wall ever since, all his energy spent. Sometimes someone would push food through the bars of one of the balconies above. At first he had ignored it, certain it was another trap. But after two days of no change and no food he picked it up, old bread again, and didn’t leave a crumb.

 

Sometimes monsters would drop in from a hatch high up in the wall. Different ones, each time. He would fight them. He would win. He would drag their corpses to the far side of the court yard, the first ones had started to smell horrible. And then he would wait again.

 

~~~~~

 

Tony muttered under his breath as he waded through the water to the beach. Damn Namor and his too heavy trawler and damn this gentle sloping beach. He waded carefully, his pack high above his head until he stepped onto dry sand. He didn't allow himself a moment to get his bearings, hurrying for the relative safety of the treeline. Once he was in the shadows of the trees he sat on his pack to roll down his trousers and put on shoes. He already had more than a few mosquito bites, he wanted to give them as little bare skin to land on as possible. Once done, he pulled out the machete, hefted the pack on his back and set out through the jungle.

 

After only half an hour of steadily slashing his way through the thick growth Tony found the hut where he would meet his contact. Or rather what was left of the hut, and upon closer inspection what was left of his contact. Pieces of the man hung haphazardly from the trees, thick with flies. Tony was instantly on his guard, whoever, or whatever more likely, could still be close. He strained his ears but couldn't hear anything but the regular sounds of the jungle. There weren't supposed to be large mammals on the island, but Tony had first-hand experience what an angry crocodile was capable off. This seemed unusual, but who knew  exactly what was hiding in the jungle? He quickly opened his pack and donned his new, portable gauntlet. He didn't think a handgun would help much against this beast, the gauntlet should be able to fry it like a chicken. He had to use it wisely though, so far he had only managed to power it up enough for one blast.

 

He checked his watch. Only about four days until the pump had to be recharged, and 71 hours until his rendez vous with the lady Dorma. This was a setback, but not bad enough for him to give up. He resolved to explore the island by himself, and be back in time, _with_ Rogers. Failing wasn't an option.

 

Tony went along more carefully, checking for signs something big had walked through the undergrowth. After a bit he came upon a trail left by a human, and he started to follow that since it was in the same direction his compass pointed and it was faster going. Occasionally he had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched, but he never saw or heard anything out of the ordinary. The ‘path’ lead to a dirt track on which a jeep would fit, barely. Following that would mean he was too exposed, but he was curious where it went. According to the maps they had provided him with, there shouldn’t be anything here but untamed jungle. He decided to pause, and backtracked a bit until he was hidden between the trees again. He took out his canteen with water and the map, and studied it, making notes in the margin.

 

By the time he heard them, it was too late. Suddenly he was surrounded by shadowy figures, humanoid, but grotesquely misshapen, with elongated limbs and a huge maw. He had time to fire one blast with his gauntlet, blasting a hole completely through one of the beings, before he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and saw a dart sticking out. He was out before he hit the ground.

  
  


When Tony came to, he was lying on a gurney, his arms tied next to his head, but his legs were loose. When he lifted his head he saw he was in some sort of medical wing, his gurney just one of many. At the far there were even two with a large shape hidden beneath a sheet, and Tony resisted a shudder. He was alone at the moment, which meant he shouldn’t waste any time, he could always come back for a closer inspection. He managed to dislocate the thumb on his left hand, a trick he had learned through necessity at a young age, and slipped his hand from the restraint. He quickly reached over his head to his other hand, putting back the thumb and undoing the leather buckle there. He was lucky they didn’t use anything stronger to hold him with.

 

He silently slid off the bed onto the floor, crouching low to remain out of sight of the windows, and looked around if he could see his bag, or his clothes. Someone had stripped him to his underwear, but the room was bare, safe for the beds and some trolleys with instruments. He went over and took a scalpel, and went to the doorway. He debated whether he should go left or right, but footsteps coming from the left made up his mind for him, and he ran as silently as he could until he rounded a corner. There were two doors at the end of the corridor, and he chose the right one again, closing it silently behind him. It was some sort of supply closet, and he waited until he heard the footsteps move past him and were out of earshot to inspect its contents. Most of it was rubbish, but there were more restraints, leather and metal ones, a box with scalpels and some sort of bleach he might find a use for. He took the leather restraints apart, and fashioned them into a wristguard in which he hid two scalpels. With a flick of the wrist he should be able to give someone, or something he thought wryly, a nasty surprise. He’d rather have a gun, or his armour, but you had to use what you got. At least he didn't have to go hand to hand with whatever those things were.

 

Another set of footsteps approached, but instead of passing they stopped in front of the door.

 

“Please come out, mister Stark,” a German accented voice said. “I've been waiting for you to wake up.”

 

Must've had a camera pointed at him in the infirmary. Tony made an obscene gesture in the gloom of the closet, but the German didn't react so he hoped this meant there wasn't a camera in here. He hid the newly crafted bracelet under a bucket in the back of the closet, no way to hide it on his person, but he taped one scalpel to his hip, mindful it wouldn't cut him at certain movements.

 

“I'm growing bored, mister Stark,” the voice said, muffled through the wood of the door.

 

Knowing he wouldn't get much more ready, Tony cautiously opened the door a bit, and peered through the opening. In the hall stood an elderly man, Tony estimated him to be somewhere in his sixties. His silver white hair was neatly styled back, a large moustache adorned his face. He was clad in a three piece suit complete with walking cane, which was ridiculous considering the heat and humidity, even here indoors. He was standing proudly, back straight and a smirk on his lips. Tony thought the only thing missing was a monocle.

 

When Tony opened the door a bit further the man bowed. “Welcome to my humble abode mister Stark. My apologies for the rude way my associates brought you in.”

 

“Interesting company you're keeping,” Tony huffed, and he stepped out of the closet.

 

The man preened. “Thank you, I'm sure you're interested in the process, but all in due time, let me introduce myself first. Doctor Sauber, at your service.”

 

Tony bowed his head slightly, better keep the maniac on his good side for now. Just because Tony didn't see those creatures from the jungle didn't mean they weren't here.

 

“The process?”

 

“Ah yes, a man of science, just like myself. Imagine my joy at seeing it was you who they had caught trespassing.” The man seemed actually thrilled to have Tony here, almost vibrating with joy.

 

“It's always nice to meet a fellow practitioner,” Tony conceded. “I'd like to see your work, doctor, but I seem to have misplaced my clothes,” Tony asked carefully.

 

“Now, now, mister Stark, I hope you don't take me for a fool,” Sauber said as he started to guide Tony through the corridor with a hand on the small of his back. Tony's skin crawled at the contact, but he succeeded in keeping his disgust hidden. “Everyone knows how resourceful you are, thanks to the Marvel’s Adventures,” Sauber continued with a chuckle, “I think this will do for now.” He opened a door to their left with a large key hanging from his neck and pushed Tony inside. Tony couldn't quite fathom what he was looking at until Sauber clicked on the lighting to reveal rows of glass cages, every last one of them containing a creature of some sort. Most were grotesquely misshapen, with too many limbs and eyes, or none at all, huge maws with so many teeth they didn’t fit anymore, even something that was clearly plant based, but with eyes and a talon protruding from its stem.

 

Some jumped up against the reinforced glass, trying to claw their way through it, rabid eyes following them as they walked past, but most were sitting docile in a corner of their cage, watching them wearily. It seemed the further they walked into this hall of horrors the more humanoid the creatures became. In one of the cages he even saw what were clearly a mother and child, clinging to each other.

 

Tony held a hand in front of his mouth, he felt nauseous as he looked at them, intelligence clear in their eyes. He had seen some horrors before, but this went way beyond anything he could stomach. He almost didn’t notice Sauber stepping closer.

 

“Tell me, mister Stark, the zines don't mention this,” Sauber rapped against the reactor pump with his walking cane from out of nowhere, and Tony punched him in a reflex, breaking the man's nose with a sickening crunch.

 

“Donnerlittchen!” Sauber yelled from where he was hunched over, holding his nose from which blood flowed freely.

 

Tony didn't waste time to run into the direction they were heading. He had a very strong suspicion that Rogers might be one of the mad doctor's projects. His stomach churned at the idea of the condition he might find Steve in, not sure if he should hope if the man was still alive or not. For selfish reasons he did. He ducked through the doorway at the end of the hall and ran on.

 

When Tony rounded the corner he saw he was trapped. The corridor ended in a large door that was bolted shut, and from behind he heard multiple footsteps coming closer. He looked around for anything to make a last stand with, but the corridor consisted only of bare stone. The cocking of a gun made him stop his movements and turn around slowly.

 

“I see you're in a hurry to join your fellow _American_ ,” Sauber bit out, nearly incomprehensible from clutching his broken nose. With his other hand he held a gun pointed at Tony. Hope flared in his chest, he had guessed right about Steve, this must mean he was alive, at least. From behind Sauber two large natives came towards Tony, and he debated whether he should fight them with his hidden scalpel now, or when they were off guard. A gunshot at the stone near his feet dissuaded him to try anything at the moment.

 

The two men took hold of his arms and shoulders and hauled him between them towards the locked door. Sauber walked up and punched Tony in the gut, making him double over, before moving past them and opening the door using three different keys. The men shoved Tony outside and the heavy door fell shut behind him.

 

Tony found himself on a balcony, not much more than a ledge really, high above the ground. He hadn't realised he wasn't on the ground floor because of the lack of windows inside. The balcony overlooked a large courtyard, overgrown with jungle. The smell of rotting flesh permeated the still air between the high walls and Tony had to hold his hands over his mouth while he studied his surroundings. The ledge was probably too high to jump safely down from, but maybe he could make a jump to that balcony on the other side. It should be easy enough to grab hold of the gate, from there he could shimmy over to the--

 

Movement down below made him flatten himself against the wall behind him. A solitary figure made his hesitant way from the shadows towards Tony, clad in blue and white.

 

“Cap?” Tony called out softly, not sure if Sauber had gotten to Steve yet. It was almost unthinkable he hadn't, considering Steve had been here for nearly three weeks.

 

The figure stopped instantly and retreated back into the shadows, head cocked in concentration. There was something wrong with what he presumed was Steve's face, but Tony looked into the light and couldn't make out any details. He called again, a little louder this time, “Steve? Sweet cheeks, it's me,” he tried and the man, hopefully still a man, sank down on his hunches with his arms over his head, rocking back and forth.

 

“You're not real!” he suddenly yelled, and it was unmistakable Steve's voice. Relief surged through Tony, Steve _sounded_ like himself. He still could've been changed in all manner of ways, but Tony liked to look on the bright side.

“If I'm not real, could you please imagine me some clothes? This is unbecoming,” he yelled back.

 

Steve stilled for a moment, then resumed rocking. Faintly Tony could hear he was chanting under his breath.

 

“And something against the mosquitoes!” Tony added, “you know I hate the blasted bloodsuckers.” He slapped another one on his leg. Steve had stopped rocking at least. “Come on Schnookums, we've got an evil scientist to beat, I broke his nose so I'm betting he's thinking up something extra nasty for us.”

 

“Of course you did,” Steve chuckled.

 

“There you go, big guy,” Tony sighed relieved. “Hey, think you can catch me if I jump?  Down’s too high for me, but I think I can make it to the other side if I reach…”

 

“Don't jump, Tony, for Pete's sake. Just… Tell me where to stand.” Tony suppressed a grin at Steve's annoyed tone. Tony's recklessness had often been a point of discussion between them, ever since-- His glee quickly morphed into horror as Steve stood up and shuffled awkwardly towards him. Steve was hurt, very seriously hurt. His suit was in tatters at the front, blood crusted on it, he limped, and he had tied a piece of cloth that he had ripped from his arm in front of his eyes. This must mean he had been attacked while Tony was out cold inside. Anger flared bright and hot, he _would_ make this German torturer pay.

 

As Steve cocked his head Tony realised he was relying on his hearing to know where Tony was. “Just a few more steps, one to the left, that's good, I'll hang down from this ledge.” Tony carefully sat down and then turned to hang down from the ledge with his hands. “Steve? I'll let go on three.” Tony had absolute faith Steve would catch him, he had never failed him before. Falling would mean a broken leg at the very least and that just wasn't acceptable.

 

“One, two, three..” Tony let go and closed his eyes, only to be caught a moment later. Steve's body felt as safe and warm as it always did, and Tony couldn't give a damn who saw them. He clung to Steve's shoulders and then cupped his cheeks. “Don't ever go on extended leave to the tropics without me again,” he said, unable to give words to what he really felt.

 

“Tony, you shouldn't have come, it's not safe,” Steve whispered back, but his grip didn't loosen. “He watches us,” he added.

 

“I know, I saw his… He uses _people_ , Steve, we have to stop him,” Tony whispered urgently. He pulled Steve in a close hug again so he could whisper in his ear. “We've rigged the pump with some extras, including a beacon, we're not alone. In two--”

 

The door Tony had come through opened again and Sauber stood on the threshold. “Very heartwarming, you clearly deserve each other,” he sneered. “Here,” he threw the gauntlet down in pieces. “American technology is, what do you call it, _useless crap_. Good luck to you both in the next challenge.”

 

The door closed and Steve instantly tensed. “We have to get away from here, those things come through that door, come on,” he said urgently, but Tony had wriggled free from his grip to gather the pieces. That gave him a scare, he shouldn't be able to wriggle free, Steve must be as weak as a kitten. So, broken gauntlet, no shoes, not so super soldier… The odds weren't good, but he had faced worse. He took Steve's hand and speed walked as far away from the door as they could. He settled down to put the gauntlet back together, luckily Sauber had only dismantled it when he couldn't get it to work.

 

“Steve, I want you to try and talk to the whatever will come through that door, okay? They're people, they might understand.” Tony hoped fervently this was the case, for the creatures but also for Steve. By the look of the rotting pile he had killed at least a dozen already, and that couldn't sit well on his conscience.  

 

“What are you talking about Tony,” Steve was on edge, balancing on the balls of his feet, legs spread in a fighter’s stance and his head cocked. “I’ve only seen two humans so far on the entire island, three if you count the kid, but I think Sauber uses them to clean for him.” Steve sounded like he was convincing himself more than he was Tony, shaking his head and pushing his hands angrily through his matted hair. “There are no others,” he added, “they can’t be.”

 

Tony didn’t contradict him, figuring they first needed to get out of here before there was time to heal from this ordeal. He worked as fast as he could, using the scalpel as a screwdriver, but less than a minute later the door opened again and a creature was pushed out, one of the same ones Tony had encountered in the jungle. It seemed reluctant to go, standing awkwardly on the edge as the door closed behind him with a bang. Tony’s fingers flew over the pieces of the gauntlet, rearranging them so that they neatly fell together, while also keeping watch over the thing on the ledge out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t aware of them yet, studying its surroundings with a resigned look, or so it seemed to Tony. Steve stood as still as a statue beside him,  obviously trying to make up for his loss of sight by listening intently. Tony had managed to piece together the gauntlet, but didn’t have it working yet. For that he needed to open up the reactor pump casing, and he wasn’t about to do that now.

 

He slowly stood, and the creature’s attention snapped straight to them, making it go into a half crouch like stance. Tony raised his hands in the universal ‘don’t shoot’ gesture and took a small step forward.

 

“We’re not here to harm you, we’re prisoners like yourself,” he said in fluent Filipino. The creature cocked its head at him, and dropped to sit on its haunches, not an easy feat on the small ledge. Emboldened Tony took another step forward, but Steve’s hand shot out and held onto his upper arm. “Don’t Tony,” he whispered. Tony patted Steve’s hand and took another step, not breaking eye contact with the creature.

 

“We want to help, but we need to get out of here first, can you help?” He took another step, until he could clearly see the details on the creature. It was huge, easily one and a half times their size. Its skull odd and misshapen, a huge maw with rows of razor sharp teeth. There was no nose, but the eyes, though large, were still very humanlike and Tony imagined he could see fear and sadness in them.

 

“Do you know of a way out?” He asked when the creature didn’t react. “Can you point it to me?” Maybe it was incapable of speech with its misshapen mouth.

 

The creature looked out over the courtyard, the first indication it understood what Tony was saying, but then its gaze landed on the pile of corpses in the corner and it visibly stiffened, before looking back at Tony with rage.

 

Tony started to back up, pulling Steve with him until they bumped into the wall. “Er Cap, you think you can throw me up on this wall? Negotiations didn’t get as smooth as pl--”

 

The creature leaped down and rolled onto the ground, shaking its head like it was disorientated. But Steve didn’t waste time, grabbing Tony under his arms and throwing him upward with a mighty heave. Tony was just able to grab onto the ledge, in awe as always of Steve’s skills, even blinded. “Now jump and grab onto me,” he yelled down, but saw they were too late. The creature had regained its sense of direction and was speeding towards them. Steve jumped, but missed Tony’s feet by a few inch, and when he landed he was just in time to jump to the side before the creature crashed into the wall. It used the momentum of its rebound to swipe at Steve, but he was ready for it, ducking underneath the outstretched arm and punching the creature in the sternum. It fell down with an agonized cry and Steve used its body as a stepping stone to jump up and grab ahold of Tony’s legs.

 

Tony grunted, but managed to hold while Steve climbed his way up over Tony’s body and onto the ledge. Tony climbed up after and took stock once they were on the ledge. “We’re in luck, I think this was an outer wall.” He squeezed Steve’s shoulder. “You gotta help me down again though, think you can manage the jump? It’s about 10 feet.”

 

Steve leaned into the touch and nodded. Behind them the creature was stirring again. “Let’s go, genius.” He dropped down and rolled onto his back, jumping up in one movement. “Can't catch you if I can't hear you, Tony.” Steve took a hesitant step back towards the wall and Tony was struck again by how _wrong_ it was to see Steve as hurt as this.

 

“I was a bit distracted by the view, lovely place for a property. Just a bit more to your right, soldier.” Behind Tony the creature had recovered enough to try jumping up against the wall, and Tony levered himself down until he hung on his arms. “Little more… stop.” He let himself drop down and Steve caught him, like he always caught him. Tony finally gave in to the urge to kiss Steve, and gave him a soft peck on the lips. “You never cease to amaze me, Rogers.”

 

Steve smiled, making him instantly seem younger, and more like himself. “Glad you came, Stark,” he said while he leaned his forehead against Tony’s and sighed. “The creatures, Sauber did something with my blood and I… I’m not healing like I should.” Tony nodded and pulled Steve in closer, needing the feel of Steve. He had known it in his gut something was wrong, but he was a mechanic, and he never gave up. “We’ll fix it.”

 

They allowed themselves a moment to be thankful to have the other close again, before Tony pulled back and looked around. “You wouldn’t be hiding a machete under your uniform, would you?” Going through the jungle without a machete wouldn’t be fun when dressed, in only his underwear it would be hell.

 

Steve knocked himself in the head. “Golly, I just knew I forgot something when I fought those things with my bare hands.”

 

Tony grinned, but it was short lived, behind the wall the creature was steadily succeeding in jumping higher. Tony grabbed Steve by the hand and together they ran in the direction with the least dense vegetation. He had to get them back to the beach, or another open place.

 

He gritted his teeth as he felt something slice into the sole of his foot, but kept running, calling out directions for Steve, signalling low hanging branches and protruding roots, and snapping branches away with the gauntlet. They had made some headway when Steve suddenly urged him on. “Faster Tony, the creature is following.”

 

Tony willed his feet to go faster, but he was no super soldier, and even if he had found something of a game path they still had to weave around the fast growing shrubs. His feet and his forearm were bleeding steadily, and he didn’t know how much longer he could go on. They stumbled upon a clearing in the woods, onto what looked to have been a village, but was now clearly abandoned, trees growing through the roofs of the buildings, colorful flowers shooting up the walls.He skidded to a halt, this would have to do. Steve bumped into him, hard enough to nearly make him lose his balance. “Tony, what’re you, what’s the matter?” Steve asked as he immediately adopted his fighting stance, listening intently in all directions and turning the way they came from, where he presumably heard their pursuer.

 

Several things happened at once. Steve cocked his head and started to ask a question at the moment the creature sprang free from the woods, advancing on them weary, until it seemed to notice where it was. It was like its strings were cut and it dropped down on its knees, staring at the surrounding buildings in horror.

 

Steve looked confused, obviously not knowing what was happening, and Tony pulled him backwards, now hearing what Steve had. The arrival of his airship had never filled Tony with more relief than in this instance, but as the rope ladder was thrown down the creature snapped from its stupor. Tony pushed the ladder into Steve’s hands, ordering him to go, and heaved a grateful sigh when Steve didn’t protest, but started to climb. Steve was halfway on the ladder when the creature jumped at Tony. A loud bang split the air and the creature fell down midjump, a hole in between its eyes. Tony looked up and saw Jarvis standing in the hatch, a large hunting rifle in his hands. ”You’re trying to give me a heart attack, boy?” He yelled down as Tony grabbed onto the ladder and started to climb.

 

_Epilogue_

Tony smiled at Steve as he blinked at him, having to get used to the light, even if it was turned down as much as it could go.

 

“Hey there, soldier, long time no see,” he said and waited patiently for Steve to adjust, which he did by pulling him into a fierce hug. “Thank you,” he whispered and Tony hugged him back just as fierce.

 

It had taken them more than a week to clear out the island, a group of comandos armed with heavy tranquilizer guns. Not many natives were left, almost all succumbed to the mad sciencing of Sauber. Sauber had tried to escape by submersible, but Namor had caught him before he could go very far. He was currently in a holding cell in London, awaiting his trial.

 

They had tried to save as many of the creatures as they could, but some were so badly deformed it was a mercy to put them to sleep. For the others a larger space to live in was being built, as they tried which ones were safe to put together. Tony had personally overseen the clearing of the lab. Taking every last bit of blood and tissue, as well as all documentation of Sauber’s ‘work’ with him. He destroyed most of it, put it in his hearth while Steve sat in a chair beside the fire. He kept the samples of Steve's blood Sauber had been tampering with, as well as of the creature that had most probably hurt Steve and was trying to reverse engineer its enhancements to come up with a cure.

 

Steve healed by himself though. Much too slowly for Tony's taste, but he healed, and after two weeks of careful monitoring by a trusted doctor the bandages could come off.

 

“Let's skip tropical destinations for a while shall we?” Tony grinned and kissed his soldier.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://bill-longbow.tumblr.com) or join us on the [ Stuckony discord server ](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) for all things Tony, Bucky and Steve!


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